Currently a large percentage of the population own and use a cellular phone, mobile telephone, voice over wireless IP, or other wirelessly connected communications device (hereafter referred to as a mobile subscriber) as their primary method of communication. While the mobile connection is extremely useful for instant communications and accessibility, many mobile subscribers do not wish to publish their number in a directory or allow an information services provider, such as, the directory assistance operator, to have ready access to or disseminate their contact information. The mobile subscriber may desire to limit this access due to numerous reasons; e.g., privacy, limit access from telemarketers, recent changes in their life status, or a plethora of other reasons.
Currently directory assistance operators use a telephone number database to provide the information services and usually the service is billed to the calling or requesting party's telephone bill. Typically the directory assistance databases are hours, days, weeks or even months old. The directory assistance usually does not provide any information indicating who is allowed to access the directory listing or any restrictions as to the use and dissemination of the subscriber's directory information. Since the directory assistance system is typically an “all or nothing” proposition, this opens up the possibility for abuse of this database or for use of the directory assistance information in a manner that may be adverse to the mobile subscriber's best interest at the time a directory request is made.
There are two major reasons the mobile subscriber user may wish to restrict certain parties' access to their contact information in real-time. The first being the ready access the mobile phone service provides to the user. Since most users usually carry their mobile phone with them, they can be easily contacted at any time and place using their mobile phone. Today the user can limit this access to callers who they have given their mobile phone number or to others who are trusted by the user at the current time. Since, in this modem world, relationships change at a rapid pace or they tend to be more situational, many mobile subscribers wish to have real-time control over a caller's access to their contact information and provide it to a requesting party on a case-by-case basis. The second reason the user may wish to restrict this information is that often the user is required to pay for all calls made to or from their mobile phone. The user may not wish to pay to talk with certain types of callers or the mobile subscriber may desire to screen who has access to their contact information.
Typically the method used in landline communications networks to restrict access to directory assistance information has been to allow the user to have an unlisted number. This allows for an opt-out method for the users to restrict their contact information. Another method that has been suggested for disseminating mobile subscriber's contact information is a method where the mobile subscriber can opt-in to a directory or add their number to the directory assistance listing. The problem with both of these methods is that they treat all callers who are requesting directory information with the same level of importance. For instance a mobile subscriber may wish to opt-out (or not opt-in) to a directory in order to limit access by telemarketers; however, the mobile subscriber would like their babysitter to be able get their number from directly assistance in the event of an emergency. There have been numerous efforts to get an opt-in or opt-out mobile phone directory into the market, but these efforts have met with little success in the United States.
What is required is a method and apparatus that allows a mobile subscriber to control the access to their contact information in real-time or near real-time. This method and apparatus should be able to distinguish between different calling parties and should be able to restrict, limit, or allow access to the contact information, location, address, or other personal information associated with the mobile subscriber on an instance-by-instance basis. What is also needed is a method and apparatus that allows a mobile subscriber to provide a delayed or non-real-time grant of permission to release their information and to have that information routed to the person or device requesting the information.